The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1887-02-16

section. IL thas becomes important TO consider
the meaning and the scope OF those last-men-
toned conditions
"The mental and physical disability spoken
OF has distinct meaning in the practice OF the
Pension Bureau, and includes every impair
ment OF bodily or mental strength and vigor
For such disabilities there are now paid l3l
different rates of pensions, ranging fr m II to
800 per month This disability must not be
the result Of the applicants vicious habits or
gross careles, moss Practically this provision
is not important The attempt Of the Govern
mtnt 70 escape the payment OF pension on
such n plea would, OF course, in very large
majority OF instances, ana regardless of the
inertia OF the case. prove iailure. There
would be that strange but nearly universal will
ingness To help the individual, as between him
and the pu5ic treasury, which goes very far to
insure n state II proof i'm favor of the claimant.
81 he disability OF applicants must he such IA
70 fncapacltaie them for the performance OF
labor IN such degree as TO- render them unable
there l. no limitation or definition of the inca
pacitatng injury or ailm mt itself 1t need only
be SUCH degree of disability from any cause
| as renders the claimant unable TO sup
port by labor IL seems to me that the support
here mentioned as one which cannot be earned
! is n complete and entire support, with no dim.
| mutton on account OF the least impairment OF
physical or mental condition. III IL had been
| intended to embrace only those who by disease
or injury were totally unable to labor, il would
have been very easy to express that idea in
stead OF recognizing, as il has done, degree
OF such inability
! What is II support? Who Is to determine
| whether Il man earns il, or has or has it not?
| Is the Government to enter the HON es of claim
ants for pensions and after an examination OF
their surroundings and circumstances settle
| those questions? Shall the Government say To
one man that his manner OF subsistence by his
earnings is support, and 10 another that the
! things his earnings furnish is not support
| Any attempt, however honest, 10 administer
| this law in such manner would necessarily pro-
duce more unfaiTness and unjust discrimina-
ton. and give more scope for partisan PARTIAL
| ", and would result in more perverson of the
Governments benevolent intentions than the
| execution of any statute ought to permit.
II, in the effort to carry out the proposed law,
| the degree OF disability related To earnings
| be considered for the purpose OF discovering If,
in any way il curtails the support which the APP
plicant, il entirely sound, would earn, and 20
| whch he is entitled, enter the broad field
long occupied by the Pension Bureau. and we
| recognize as the only difference between the
proposed legislation and previous laws passed
| for the benefit of the surviving soldiers OF the
civil war the incurrence in one case OF disabli-
ties IN military service, and III the other disa-
! bilities existing bat in no way connected with
! or resulting from such service
| 1T must be borne in mind that in no case is
| there any grading OF this proposed pension.
| Under the operation OF the rule first sugge ,ted,
| II there is lack in any degree great or small,
of the ability to earn such support as the gov
| eminent determines the claimant should have,
and by the application of the rule secondly sug-
gested, if there is a reduction in any degree OF
| the support which he might earn IL sound, he is
| entitled TO n pension OF SD
"IE the latter case and under the provision OF
the proposed bill permitting persons now receiv-
| ing pensions TO be admitted TO the benefits OF
the act, do not see how those now on the pen
sion roll for disabilities incurred in the service
and which diminish their earning capacity, can
be denied the pension provided in this bill
"Ot course none will apply who are now re-
coiving SD or more per month But on June
30 1885, there were on the pension rolls POP, 62l
persons who were receiving fifty eight different
rates Of pension, from 81 20 S11.75 per month.
OF these p, l42 were receiving - per month,
G3llG 81 Der month. 81 ,25i So per month, and
5O,274 whose disabilities were rated at IS per
month.
AS to the meaning of the section of the bill
under consideration there appears 10 have been
quite difference Of opinion among its advocates
in the Congress. The Chairman of the Com
mittee on Pensions in the House OF Representa-
tives, who reported the bill, declared that there
was in it no provision for pens!oning any one
who has a less disability than total disability
20 labor, and that it was a charity measure.
The Chairman of the Committee on Pensions
in the Senate, having charge of the bill in that
body, dissented from the construction Of the bill
announce ed in the House of Representatives, and
declared that il not only embraced all soldiers
totally disabled, but in his judgment all who
are disabled TO any considerable extent and
such construction was substantially given TO
the bill by another distinguished Senator who
as former Secretary of the Interior, had
imposed upon him the duty of executing pen
sion laws and determining their intent and
meaning.
another condition required OF claimants un-
der this act is that they shall be dependent
upon their daily labor for support. This Ian
guage, which may be said TO assume that there
exists within the reach Of tine persons men,
| toned labor or the ability IN some degree to
work, is more APPLY used in statute describ-
ing those not wholly deprived of this ability
than in one which deals with those Utterly un-
| able 10 work.
Il am of the opinion that it may fairly be con-
tended that under the provisions OF this section
any soldier whose faculties of mind body
have become impaired by accident, disease, or
age. irrespective of his service in the army as q
cause and who by his labor only is left incapa-
bic OF gaining the far support he might with
unimpaired powers have provided for himself
and who is not so well endowed with this world $
goods as TO live without work may claim to par
ticipate i'm its bounty: that it is not required
that he should be without property, but only
that labor should be necessary to his support in
some degree, nor is it required that he should
be now receiving support from others
believing tn to be the proper Interpretation
of the bill, L cannot but remember that the
soldiers of our civil war i'll their pay and
bounty received such compensation for military
Sc vice as has never been received by soldiers
before since mankind went TO war that never
before on behalf of any soldiers, have so many
and such generous laws been passed to re-
lieve against the incidents of war; that stat
utes have been passed giving them prefer
ence in all public employments; that the
really needy and homeless Union soldiers
OF the rebellion have been, to large
extent provided for at soldiers homes, insti-
tuted and supported by the Government where
sense Of degradation which attaches to the
usual support Of charity, and that never before
in the history OF the country has it been pro-
posed to render Government aid toward the
support Of any of it's soldiers based alone upon
a military service so recent and where age and
circumstances appeared SO little to demand
such aid.
Hitherto such relief has been granted to sur
viving soldiers few in number venerable in
age, after n long lapse of time since their mill
tary service, and as a parting benefaction
rendered by a grateful people. 1 cannot be-
lieve that the vast peaceful army Of Union
sold iers who having contentedly resumed their
place in the ordinary avocations of life, cherish
sacred the memory OF patriotic service, or
who. having been disabled by the casualties of
war, justly regard the present pension roll, on
which appear their names, as roll of honor,
desire at this time and in the present exigency
TO be COMPOUNDED with those who, through such
bill as this, are willing 10 be objects of simply
charity and to gain place upon the pension
roll through alleged dependence.
Recent personal observation and experience
oonstrain me TO refer to another result which
will inevitably follow the passage of this bill
tits sad, but nevertheless true, that already in
the matter of procuring pensions there exists n
widespread disregard of truth and good faith
stimulated by those who as agents undertake to
establish claims for pensions, heedlessy en-
tered upon by the expectant beneficiary, and
encouraged, or at least not condemned, by those
unwilling TO obstruct neighbor's plans.
I'm the execution of this proposed law, under
any Interpretation, wide field Of inquiry would
be opened for the establishment of facts largely
within the knowledge of the claimants alone,